Prepare for the back-to-school season with must-have essentials! Handwriting involves a combination of skills, including eye-hand coordination and fine motor control. At therapyshoppe.com, we focus on preparing children with unique needs for the upcoming school year. Explore our wide selection of tools crafted to improve handwriting skills and aid in each student's educational progress.

Here are our top 10 picks for the best handwriting tools this school year:

 

  1. Pencil Grip Sampler Kits- Therapists and teachers love these fabulous new pencil grip sampler kits created especially for right-handed (or left-handed) students.  These kits are perfect for evaluating which are the most comfortable and effective pencil grip writing tools for individual children. 

  2. Handwriting Slant Boards- Very durable and lightweight slant boards that provide a smooth writing surface and a functional 20-degree writing angle for optimal wrist positioning. Ideal for writing, reading or copying. Helps with directionality difficulties, and reduces eye and head-movement demands. Features a stainless steel spring clip, 4 non-slip rubber feet, smooth flame-polished edges, and a free pencil clip that securely holds writing tools.  Comes in desktop, mini, primary, or flat-fold styles.

  3. Bookmark Size Reading Guides - They look like a bookmark with a colored transparent strip and function like a highlighter, helping readers stay on track and focused. These colored reading windows are excellent for individuals with visual perceptual challenges or difficulty with focusing. Each one of these smart reading aids measures 7" x 1-1/4". Bookmark Reading Guides come in your choice of:  pink, green, orange, yellow, blue, or clear.   Also comes in a full-page size option.

  4. Wipe Clean Handwriting Paper- Specialty primary handwriting paper writing mats in a dry erase format! The bottom half of the writing lines are shaded, indicating where the lowercase letters should be placed. The solid bar-lines and white shading on this visually simple paper naturally help draw the writer's visual attention to the writing area.

  5. Finger Spacer Writing Tools - These clever writing tools tactilely and visually cue children on how much space to leave between letters and words when they write. This credit card-sized writing tool features a "tracking window" for reading that accentuates black print, a mini ruler for measuring, and an arrow that cues left-to-right reading directionality!

  6. Furry Animal Hand Weights - Adorable furry animal hand weights that provide the perfect touch of extra deep pressure sensory input!  These lovable little animal hand weights are a helpful sensory tool that helps children know where their hands are in space so they don't have to rely on vision to know what their hands are doing.  The animals "hold" the pencil in-between their front legs, while an adjustable strap secures it on the child's hand.  Best of all, the pencil can be removed so kids can use the weights for lots of other fine motor activities (besides just handwriting), too!

  7. Bright Lines Specialty Handwriting Paper - O.T.-designed, this visually simple handwriting paper features the lower half of the writing area highlighted with bright yellow–indicating where the lowercase letters should be placed. Solid bar-lines and white shading naturally help draw the writer's visual attention to the writing area. Letters can easily be formed and spaced correctly on this very visually simple paper!  Comes in yellow or blue.

  8. Redispace Transitional Notebook Paper- This specialty notebook paper eases the transition from primary or dotted-line paper, to wide-ruled notebook paper. It features extra visual color cues to help with starting and stopping at the left/right margins, and actual "spacing lines" to help with letter size, and consistency of spacing between letters and words. This one-of-a-kind handwriting paper is a nice choice for individuals who have have dysgraphia or visual perceptual challenges that make it difficult to stay between the lines when writing. 

  9. Open Palm Hand Weights- Neat hand weight features an open palm and finger loops design that's easy to put on/take off, and comfy to wear. This smart occupational therapy sensory tool provides excellent proprioceptive input and makes it a great handwriting glove! Made of durable lycra that's double stitched for strength and filled with lead-free steel shot.

  10. Handwriting Tools Sampler Kit - A super assortment of innovative grips, pencils and other popular writing tools! Includes one of each of: Tripod Ring Grip, Writing CLAW Grip (medium), Crossover Grip, Grotto Grip, The Pencil Grip, Stetro Grip, Start Right Grip, Extra Thick Massager Grip, Ferby Beginner’s Triangular Pencil, Pen Again "Twist & Write" Pencil, Tactile Triangular Pencil, Mini Pencil, a One Finger Spacer, and a Two Finger Spacer.

righty pencil grip sampler flatfold slantboard brightlines w218 h218 finger spacer single

 

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The Benefits of Using Pencil Grips